Enough is enough

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Warning: This opinion contains graphic language in regard to rape.

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: Assuming perjury isn’t involved, Roman Polanski raped a 13-year-old girl. Period, end of story, no discussion.

The grand jury testimony confirms it. Polanski’s victim swore under oath that he gave her champagne and a Quaalude (a muscle relaxant and sedative), then proceeded to sexually assault her orally, vaginally and anally. Polanski has never denied it and even pleaded guilty to a statutory rape charge (the merits of that particular plea deal are a subject for another time).

This is flat-out wrong. It’s twisted and despicable. And yet Polanski was a (relatively) free man until Sept. 26 when the Swiss police, God bless them, finally arrested him in Zurich.

Polanski had been on the run for 31 years following his arrest in California in 1977, skipping across the globe to avoid being extradited per his outstanding arrest warrant, which was issued in 1978. After his conviction, he fled the U.S. to avoid having to face his sentence. His recent arrest has prompted an uproar from the Hollywood film establishment, who argue Polanski is the victim and that the California authorities need to drop the case.

When I first heard that there was a petition circulating among the Hollywood elite for Polanski’s release, my first thought was “What the (expletive)?” followed shortly by “Let’s back up a minute here.”

Sure enough, the French film group Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (“Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers”) had put together a petition with signatures from many of the most renowned names in cinema. The SACD petition reads, in part, that the charges against Polanski are “a case of morals,” and demands his “immediate release.” Among the signatories are Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Jonathan Demme, Guillermo del Toro and others of equal fame. Whoopi Goldberg thrust herself into the limelight by saying Polanski’s crime was not “rape rape” (whatever that means) and others have jumped on her bandwagon.

A case of morals? Are you kidding me? How in the name of all that is good and holy is rape a case of morals? If by “a case or morals” it’s immoral to rape someone, then yes, it is. If you mean it’s a case of relative, outdated moral standards, then no.

If there was a shred of evidence that what happened was consensual, I might buy it. That would lend some credence to the charge Polanski was actually convicted of, which was “only” statutory rape. But the grand jury transcript is filled with dialogue like this: (“Q” refers to a question from the attorney, “A” refers to the victim’s answer)

“A: He started to have intercourse with me.
Q: What do you mean by intercourse?
A: He placed his penis in my vagina.
Q: What did you say, if anything, before he did that?
A: I was mostly just on and off saying, ‘No, stop.’ But I wasn’t really fighting because I, you know, there was no one else there and I had no place to go.”

There’s also this exchange:

“Q: When you say he went in your anus, what do you mean by that?
A: He put his penis in my butt.
Q: Did he say anything at that time?
A: No.
Q: Did you resist at that time?
A: A little bit, but not really because—(pause).
Q: Because what?
A:  Because I was afraid of him.”

The record speaks for itself, and it speaks volumes. The girl was afraid, she said “no” and tried to resist, but Polanski forced himself upon her anyway. If that isn’t the textbook definition of rape, I don’t know what is.

How can anyone ignore this? Are these celebrities unaware of the facts, or do they view themselves as above the law because of their prestige, wealth and connections? I hope it’s the former rather than the latter, but either way Polanksi committed a crime and deserves to be punished.

Some of these celebrities have argued Polanski has suffered enough already. They point to the fact that Polanski is a Holocaust survivor, his wife was murdered by the Manson family and he has “had to live in exile” for 30 years. In a word, baloney. Just because Polanski suffered himself (and I would certainly call going through the Holocaust suffering) does not give him the right to inflict pain on others.

As to the theory that Polanski should be exempt because of his artistic skills, that argument could only be made by someone with an inflated Hollywood ego. It takes a special breed of arrogance to believe that being famous or skilled as an actor or director gives you a “get out of jail free” card. The fact that judges and juries have repeatedly let celebrities off the hook (or given them lesser sentences) for crimes ordinary people would be punished more severely for doesn’t help matters. I’m looking at you, O.J. Simpson, Mel Gibson, Martha Stewart, Paris Hilton, et al.

But one of the fundamental principles of the justice system is that no one is above the law. Polanski pleaded guilty to a crime. He accepted his fate, even if it was for a lesser charge than he deserves. If a normal person had been convicted of Polanski’s crime, they wouldn’t have even gotten his extraordinarily generous plea deal, much less a chance to avoid punishment for three decades. It’s appalling that he’s even been allowed to run free for as long as he has, but now that he’s been caught, it’s time for Roman Polanski to face the music.

Read Roman Polanski’s rape victim’s grand jury testimony here.

Read the SACD petition for Polanski’s release here.

View Whoopi Goldberg’s comments about Polanski here.

Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Rob Ryan at Rryan@colorado.edu.